Are You Squatting Your Way to a Bad Lower Back?

by Lee
(UK)

Are you squatting your way to a bad lower back? Despite what you may have heard, the regular barbell squat is NOT the "King of Exercises" for a lot of people. Why? Simply, there are far safer and more efficient ways to target the legs and lower body, such as unilateral training.

Respected strength and conditioning coach Michael Boyle writes about this, explaining how single limb training is a more effective – and anatomically correct – way to train. In a world where few trainees squat properly, Boyle proposes that conventional double leg movements are flawed and that single leg exercises such as the lunge exercise provide a more functional way to exercise while enjoying higher levels of safety.

Boyle argues: “If what we were doing worked so well, why do we have so many tears and bad backs? I truly believe that single leg training is the best way to prevent knee injuries and the best way to train around a back problem.”